Sepsis Case Studies

Sepsis is defined by the Surviving Sepsis Campaign (SSC) as “the presence (probable or documented) of infection together with systemic manifestations of infection” (Dellinger et al.,

Sepsis still represents a major cause of morbidity and mortality in critically ill patients despite the use of modern antibiotics and resuscitation therapies. There is a lack of early diagnosis and timely intervention for sepsis in the emergency department (ED), and recent interest has focused on biomarkers for early diagnosis, risk stratification, and evaluation of prognosis of sepsis.

Sepsis is a condition of growing concern for nursing professionals, as the mortality rate has increased each year since its initial documentation in the early 1990s (Levy et al., 2012). Sepsis was first defined in 1991 as a systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS). Since this time, improvements have been made in developing a worldwide definition of sepsis (Levy et al., 2012). Specifically, sepsis is considered to be a life-threatening dysfunction of the organs that results from the dysregulation of a host response to an infectious agent (American Association of Critical-Care Nurses, AACN, 2018).

Effective sepsis management not only reduces patient morbidity and mortality, but it can substantially impact the financial status of the hospital by reducing the cost of care, length of stay, readmissions and ultimately increase reimbursement. By lowering

L. (2013). Early recognition and management of sepsis in adults: The first six hours. American Family Physician, 1(44), 44-53. Retrieved from

Kleinpell states, “Septic shock is the result of an overwhelming infection, leading to hypotension, altered coagulation, inflammation, impaired circulation at a cellular level, anaerobic metabolism, changes in mental status and multiple organ failure (as sited in Garretson & Malberti, Ignatavicius and Workman (2009), “sepsis is a widespread infection coupled with a more general criteria: body temperature higher than 380C or lower than 360C, heart rate greater than 90 beats per minute, respiratory rate greater than 20 breaths per minutes, and WBC count greater than 12,000/mm or lower than 4,000/mm or with more than 10% bands (Spaniol, Knight, Zebley, Anderson, Pierce, 2007). Endotoxins from gram-negative bacteria, such as Escherichia coli, can precipitate the common progression of events leading to septic shock. A patient experiencing SIRS is at risk for organ failure (severe sepsis), multiple organ dysfunction syndrome, and death. This paper will outline the details surrounding this condition, from a nursing standpoint.

Assessment Although a patient in severe sepsis may be transferred to the intensive care unit (ICU), medical-surgical nurses must be able to recognize early signs and symptoms of sepsis to ensure prompt treatment before the patient requires ICU admission. Severe sepsis Severe sepsis occurs when a patient with documented sepsis goes on to develop acute organ dysfunction with hypoperfusion and tissue hypoxemia. Simple prevention strategies Without proper assessment and early identification, patients with sepsis can deteriorate quickly, suffering compromised tissue oxygenation and organ dysfunction for many hours. Be aware that although blood pressure readings are crucial in assessing and planning care for the septic patient, mean arterial pressure

Sepsis was known in the old days as "blood Poisoning" because it is " A poisoning of the system by disease carrying bacteria and their toxins absorbed into the bloodstream, as from festering wounds," according to the World Book Encyclopedia Dictionary. 1 Because Sepsis is a severe and often fatal disease and thought to cause 44,000 deaths a year, it is most important that it be recognized early and treated aggressively with utmost and urgent care. If not treated early it can lead to shock and multiple organ failure and even death. It kills more people than breast, bowel, and prostate cancer combined; however, it can be treated successfully if detected early on. 2. Erin Dean Sepsis does not arise on its own. It stems from another medical condition such as an infection in the lungs, urinary tract, skin, abdomen (such as appendicitis) or other part of the body. Invasive medical procedures like the insertion of a vascular catheter can introduce bacteria into the bloodstream and bring on the condition. Many different types of microbes can cause sepsis, including bacteria, fungi and viruses, but bacteria are the most common culprits. Severe cases often result from a body-wide infection that spreads through the bloodstream, but sepsis can also stem from a localized infection.

Sepsis is a systemic response to infection that leads to severe sepsis and septic shock (Dellinger et al., 2013). Severe sepsis and septic shock are major health concerns, affecting millions of people, and killing one in four (Dellinger et al., 2013). Multisystem organ failure (MOF) is one of the leading causes of death of hospitalized patients with the underlying condition of sepsis (Rittirsch, Redl, & Huber-Lang, 2012).

          If one believes that someone has Sepsis, then it is strongly recommended to visit the doctors for medical assistance. If one has been diagnosed with Sepsis, then the doctor present will inject antibiotics into the patients bloodstream, noted from healthline.com. Of course, he or she will be closely monitored until it has been ruled out. Once finished, the person who had Sepsis will have to do a checkup to make sure it does not come back. When it is over, the person will be able to go home and get a goods nights rest.

Sepsis continues to be a significant cause of death and morbidity in the intensive care unit (ICU), with documented mortality rates as high as 50% (Nargis, Ibrahim, & Ahamed, 2014). It is also estimated to be the principal cause of death and illness worldwide (Singer et al., 2016). Moreover, the socioeconomic costs related to sepsis were determined to be more than $20 billion in 2011 in the United States (Balk et al., 2017). Also, there has been a steady increase in the incidences of sepsis as the technological advances in medicine allow for more invasive procedures, the growth of multi-drug resistant organisms, and an aging demographic (Nargis, Ibrahim, & Ahamed, 2014). Therefore, timely diagnosis and treatment of sepsis are paramount.

M.C. is a 64 year old Hispanic female admitted to the ICU from a skilled nursing facility with a chief complaint of respiratory distress with a diagnosis of PA, sepsis, and tachycardia. According to the Joint Commission, “The core measures for pneumonia are; blood culture should be performed within 24 hours and prior to or 24 hours after hospital arrival for patients who were transferred or admitted to the ICU within 24hrs of hospital arrival; blood cultures should be performed prior to initial antibiotic received in hospital”. Within the first 24 hours blood gases were obtained prior to the first antibiotic administered, a chest x-ray confirmed PA, and antibiotics were given within 6 hours of admission. CHF

Sepsis is defined as “life-threatening organ dysfunction caused by a dysregulated host response to infection” (Singer et al., 2016, p. 804). If sepsis induced hypotension or greater than two mmol/L (millimoles per liter) lactate persist despite adequate fluid resuscitation, the sepsis is progressed to septic shock (Singer et al., 2016, p. 807).

It was also noted that the diseased had higher levels of sepsis-related organ failure scores and low Platelets and albumin. To Support his evidence the author included two tables consisted of the patient clinical features as well as a comparison data analysis table between surviving and diseased patients.This is an effective and useful study that will allowed a writer with supportive evidence that patients in the intensive care unit have a higher mortality rate, that those who seek treatment immediately after diagnosis. In addition it gives the reader an understanding and the types of health risk factors that contribute to the mortality rate of patient infected with

This is a case study of a 64-year old African American male found in a Motel 6 in San Diego four weeks ago. This male was brought to the Emergency Room at UCSD Hillcrest and admitted to the 6th floor where infectious diseases are primarily treated. Upon admission for altered mental status, it was of concern that the patient was going through ETOH withdrawal, had community acquired pneumonia and that he was at risk for sepsis. Therefore, a sepsis work-up was completed and soon, a plan of care was initiated for the patient. The patient was diagnosed with